Archives for February 2015

Create a sweet space to suit you and your new baby — whether a boy or a girl

If you’re preparing the nest for a new arrival and have resist finding out the sex of baby, you may be in need of some nursery decorating inspiration. Or perhaps you simply aren’t excited by traditional colors? Either way, forget outmoded ideas of blue for boys and pink for girls and make life easier by choosing a color scheme that will suit either gender. With a clever use of paint, prints and accessories, you can create a room you’ll feel proud to bring your baby home to and that will work for your family for years to come.

Cupboards full? Try these kitchen ideas for working more valuable storage into your cooking space

Kitchens have to accommodate a great variety of stuff. All but the biggest kitchens are under pressure to store utensils, pans, crockery, the food we eat and the appliances we use to cook it, and everything we need to clean it up afterward. As most of us don’t have banks of cupboards and acres of floor space in our kitchens, it can make fitting in that wine rack or finding a home for your new food processor tricky. It’s time to get creative.

Distinctive and proud, these houses may be more common than you might first realize

Don’t dismiss segmental vault houses as just Quonset huts or airplane hangars. The Quonset hut, developed and used during World War I and II, is a long half-circle of corrugated tin with a lightweight metal structure. Airplane hangars are considerably larger. These houses are different from the primitive wartime huts and deserve attention as a style for several reasons. First, Virginia Savage McAlester designates them as their own class of 21st-century modern style in the revised 2013 edition of her book, A Field Guide to American Houses. Second, many segmental vault houses can be found around California, including in Palm Springs. Lastly, these houses have a distinct character, derived from the arched roof shape, that clearly sets them apart from other contemporary structures.

Don’t be afraid of choosing the warmest, most versatile material for your bathing space — it can work wonders

Laying a wooden floor or covering surfaces in wood used to be a decor no-no in the bathroom. But modern sealants and paints and superefficient ventilation systems mean you can now embrace your inner Scandi by welcoming the tones and textures of wood. Check out these schemes for inspiration.

A designer shares key areas where you can economize — and still get the kitchen of your dreams

When you’re investing in a home remodeling project, you want to make sure that the results not only please you but add value to your home and save you money. Never is that more true than in a kitchen remodel, where costs can added up so quickly that your budget can all of a sudden seem like pennies in a jar. To avoid that and keep costs in line, and yet still get the kitchen of your dreams, here are a few of my favorite ways of getting the most out of a tight budget.

Improving on what he had, designer Chad Esslinger transformed a basic kitchen into something bright, white and modern

Moving into a house that was just 16 years old meant that Chad and Patty Esslinger wouldn’t have to take on any major renovations. But the problem with the relatively new home was that it was stuck in basicville, and the kitchen was the town hall.

Save yourself the cost of replacing your old floorboards with these tips for a new finish

If you live in a property benefiting from wood floorboards, you can save a tidy sum on carpeting and make a style statement by incorporating them into your decor. Wood floors are easy to maintain, and wood that has already been in place for many years is unlikely to warp or shrink (provided you treat it correctly). Bare floorboards are also a practical choice, requiring only a quick vacuuming and mopping to keep them looking their best. There are numerous techniques to consider for finishing your floors — here are some favorites.